


Persona 5 / Ace Attorney Crossover Snippets

by SableGear0



Category: Persona 5, 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: Cognitive Palace, Cognitive Version of Character, Crossover, Drabble, Gen, Highlight Reel, Minor Ace Attorney Spoilers, Minor Persona 5 spoilers, implied narumitsu/wrightworth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-18 10:43:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21509773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SableGear0/pseuds/SableGear0
Summary: A drabble/highlight-reel of snippets inspired by a discussion about a Persona AU in the Ace Attorney Fanclub Discord server. Primarily focuses on the nature of Miles Edgeworth's cognitive Palace.Essentially just some interesting parts without any connective tissue and only implied context. Big thanks to everyone who participated in the chat, it was a fun discussion (and resulted in the fastest "fic" I've ever created).Minor spoilers for PW:AA and Persona 5.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 57





	Persona 5 / Ace Attorney Crossover Snippets

[Second attempt at entering the Palace]

“It’s still a Courthouse? _Man_ , isn’t that kinda... too obvious?” Ryuji – Skull – scratched his head with the bent pipe that was his current weapon of choice.

“Just because it looks like a courthouse on the outside doesn’t mean that’s how he sees it on the inside,” Morgana, now Mona, reminded him.

“But the others were pretty clear from the outside what they were, and I mean...” Ann, as Panther, glanced behind herself, “We’re taking some pretty unusual measures here, there’s no way his cognition of the courthouse is really this... _normal_. What do you think, Joker?”

The last masked teen opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted from a groan behind their group. Skull jumped.

“Dammit! That’s right, I forgot we uh... brought someone with us this time...”

“Nnghh... What the hell...?” The Phantom Thieves’ ‘guest’ sat up holding his head. The man was still dressed for his court appointment earlier that day; a blue suit and red tie. He took a moment to massage his head, fixing his spiked hair, before looking up at his would-be captors. “Where...? Hey, what– Hang on...” He squinted at the group, studying their attire.

“You doing okay there, Mister Wright?” Panther asked.

“It’s... _you_ kids. Why are you all dressed up like that? And where are we?” Phoenix wobbled to his feet, eyeing the courthouse and the ominous sky above it. “This isn’t... _normal_ , is it.” It was not a question.

“So, uh...” Skull made to begin an explanation, but Mona cut him off.

“You’re a field asset of the Phantom Thieves right now. Basically, you’re our prisoner, but we also need your help.”

Phoenix blinked, glancing from the anthropomorphic cat-creature to the others in the group. He pointed at Mona, a silent question on his face. Joker nodded in confirmation; yes, he’d just heard the cat speak.

“Alright... So, you knocked me out and took me... Back to the courthouse? For what, exactly?”

Skull leaned in to whisper to Panther, “He took that really well, huh?”

Phoenix overheard them easily, “You guys didn’t do a whole lot of research before you kidnapped me, did you? Let’s say I’ve dealt with some unusual stuff before. I wouldn’t say I’ve seen _weirder_ , but... Anyway. Why the courthouse?”

Joker glanced at Mona, gesturing for him to explain, “The short version is that’s not really the courthouse. That’s a Palace, it’s a space in the mindscape distorted by its Ruler. We need to get inside so we can change its Ruler’s heart.”

“Holy crap, really? That actually works?”

“Our prior intel,” the phrase made the other Phantom Thieves shudder – their first trip to the Palace had been a near-fatal misadventure, “suggests this Palace’s Ruler has a strong connection to you, Mr. Wright. We think you’re the key to getting us in safely.”

The attorney hummed, stroking his chin while he mulled over the information. Enough of it lined up, he had a good idea of just who this ‘Palace’ might belong to. “Alright. I’m in.”

“Just like that?” Skull blurted.

“Yes!” Panther bounced with excitement, “Just stick close to us, Mr. Wright, we’ll keep you safe.”

“You guys said I’m your prisoner, I feel a little more like you’re my bodyguards.”

* * *

[Chess Puzzle]

“I hate thiiiis. I _hate_ this! Who even invented chess? It sucks!”

“Come on Skull,” Mona called from the far side of the board, “Rooks don’t complain!”

“ ** _And pawns don’t cheer. Be quiet._** ” The Shadow across the room snarled at them.

It was not a courthouse on the inside, as Mona had correctly predicted. The open space that should have been a courtroom did indeed present the trappings of one; a high ceiling, ornate wood railings and panelling, but the floor was a checkered black-and-white. A chess board, upon which the Palace’s Ruler had challenged them to a game.

“Hey, I’m not a pawn! I’m a Knight!”

“ ** _Then someone’s mis-set you._** ”

The Phantom Thieves were playing as black. Skull found himself in the place of the King’s Rook, at the far-left side of the board. Panther was the Queen’s Bishop, at the other extreme corner. Mona was the King’s Knight. Joker stood in the Queen’s position. The rest of the pieces were faceless, person-sized effigies in classic chessmen shapes.

Phoenix, somehow, went entirely ignored by the Palace’s mechanisms, and found himself watching the game from an eerily familiar vantage, behind the Defense’s bench of the mock courtroom. When the group had breached the perimeter and entered this chamber, the Palace’s Ruler had revealed himself. Although it didn’t come as a shock, the truth was still disturbing to see; a ‘Shadow’ (as Mona had called him) of Miles Edgeworth.

At a glance the only difference between this Shadow Miles and the real one was the wreath of dark flame around him, but closer examination revealed other details. Even from across the room Phoenix could see the glint of yellow eyes from behind his hair, and when he raised his left hand from behind the bench, he revealed a single golden manacle with a trailing chain.

“Joker,” Phoenix hissed from behind the bench. The masked thief glanced back at him. He nodded to Skull, “Edgeworth left his Knight open but don’t let Skull take it, I think he’s baiting you! We have to play cautiously.” A nod of confirmation. This was not a game they could afford to lose.

* * *

[Dungeon preamble]

“We have to stash him somewhere, we can’t have him with us while we’re sneaking around,” the Phantom Thieves stood in a huddle, Skull broaching the awkward topic first.

“It doesn’t seem fair. He’s been so helpful!”

“Skull’s right, Panther. Mr. Wright doesn’t have a Persona, if a shadow catches him, he’s done for. We’ll have to leave him in a safe room.”

“But what if we need him again?”

“We’ll just have to clear a path first and then lead him over. There’s really no other option.”

“Hey... uh...” Phoenix approached the group tentatively, “Something wrong?” When the group turned to him as one, he took a step back. “W-what’s with that look!?”

* * *

[Returning to the Palace]

“What the _heck!?_ ” It was Panther’s turn for an outburst. “We were here just _yesterday!_ Why’s everything different?”

“I’ve never seen anything like this...” Mona gaped. While the Palace had remained a courthouse from the exterior, the guts of the place had changed entirely. Where once there had been a stately courtroom, there was now a labyrinthine prison complex. Narrow halls, flickering lights, with Shadows patrolling and cognitive laypeople trapped in tiny cells “Something serious must have happened to change his cognition so drastically, and so suddenly.” The cat-creature looked to Phoenix, “Any ideas, Mr. Wright?”

Phoenix breathed a heavy sigh. He knew all too well what was happening; what had changed Miles’s perception of the courthouse from a grand war-theatre to a jail. He just didn’t know how, or if, he should explain it to the Phantom Thieves.

“He’s...” start with the basic facts, he told himself, “Edgeworth is standing trial for a murder he didn’t commit. But...” Miles had revealed something shocking to him in confidence. He couldn’t share the details, but the details didn’t matter, the Thieves wanted to know what had happened to his cognition, “He’s resigned to being found guilty. It almost seems like he wants to be. Court isn’t a place he feels in control anymore. Now he feels trapped. Like he _deserves_ to be trapped.”

“That’s awful...” Panther murmured.

“Serves him right,” Skull grumbled. The quip earned him a slap on the back of the head from Joker. “Ow! What!? He’s a huge jerk!”

“Yeah, well, he’s _my_ huge jerk,” Phoenix cut in, “So we’re doing what we can to help him.”

Mona folded his paws, “You know that means we have to stash you away again until it’s safe.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just do whatever it is you guys do.”

* * *

[Phoenix solo]

  
Waiting around in the safe room for the umpteenth time was beyond boring. Once he was certain the space outside the door was silent, Phoenix cracked it open to peek outside. An empty hallway with nothing but cell doors. He eased out into the hall. Still nothing. Alert to the sounds of any nearby Shadows, he gave in to the temptation to wander.

Somehow, something still managed to sneak up on him. He felt its shadow loom over him and heard a voice that, though familiar, he didn’t immediately recognize.

“ _Lost?_ ”

He turned slowly to face it and found himself gaping. It was _him_. Himself, another Phoenix Wright looking down on him with mild concern. The other-Phoenix straightened up and the original realized why the shadow had felt so large. His doppelganger had _wings_ – massive, white-feathered wings – and was dressed in silver-chased blue armour, a huge cracked shield strapped to its left arm.

“Uh, nope! No, no, not lost! Just taking a look around,” Phoenix blurted before his double could react.

Mona had said something about these kinds of figures, hadn’t he? What was it...? Phoenix had asked about the people in the cells, if they were ‘real’ at all or needed help. Mona had said they were merely ‘cognitive beings,’ essentially ‘set dressing’ created by the Palace Ruler. They were formed from his perceptions, not actual consciousnesses trapped in the Palace. Most of them looked generic, near faceless, representing people Miles had only met in passing or didn’t remember. But this one... This one was _him_. Was this really how Miles saw him? This gentle, angelic defender?

“ _This place isn’t safe,_ ” the Cognitive Phoenix offered a hand – its right, bearing a single golden manacle with a chain that trailed away and faded from sight, “ _Let me guide you._ ”

* * *

[Miniboss Encounter]

  
“Ugh, this stuff is so _gross_ ,” Mona tossed away an empty can of soda, “Why did you even bring this?”

“Hey, I like Manta!” Skull crushed his can against his forehead, “Besides, it helps, doesn’t it?”

“I guess so. We ready?” The cat-creature glanced at the group, who nodded in confirmation.

The Phantom Thieves had found themselves facing a long, empty dead-end hallway, a single door at the end. No amateurs, they had stopped to patch themselves up from the previous scuffle with a Shadow before proceeding. The group hugged one wall as they approached the door, keenly aware of every crack in the cement, every flicker of the lights above, every faint echo of their own footsteps.

The door, narrow double-doors, were metal with wire-meshed glass windows.

“Is this... an elevator?” Panther reached out but hesitated, fingers hovering over what looked like a bullet hole in the glass.

“Maybe it goes further down?” Skull scratched at his head.

“ _Mrrrrow!_ ” Mona shivered, fur puffing out, “This is it! It’s in here!”

“The Treasure?”

“Yeah!” he pawed at the doors, “Open it up! Joker, open it up, I wanna see!”

With a shrug, Joker poked the call button for the elevator. There was a pause, a _ding_ , and the doors slid open.

A young boy sat against the back wall of the darkened elevator, head down with his knees drawn up to his chest, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit. Beside him, the gleaming nimbus of the Palace Treasure rested, as if forgotten, in the corner. The Thieves drew back as the boy looked up. This was no cognitive prop, he had a specific, well-defined face; soft, half-hidden by long grey bangs... and yellow eyes that marked him as a Shadow.

“ ** _Who... are you...?_** ”

Skull fumbled back, dragging Joker in front of him, “No _way_ ,” he hissed, “Is that–?”

“Um, hi there...” Panther knelt down, uncertain how to introduce them.

“ ** _Are you... here to rescue me...?_** ” The boy’s voice was weak. Even beyond the unnatural pallor of a Shadow, he looked exhausted.

Mona was jittering, trying to contain his excited cat-noises long enough to advise a reply. The crack of a whip made the Thieves turn; the Shadow of Miles Edgeworth and another cognitive being, a young woman in a guard’s uniform, blocked the hall behind them.

“ _Naughty little inmates out of their cells,_ ” the woman stretched the leather whip in her hands. Joker especially bristled at the comment. “ _They should be put back where they belong._ ”

Behind them, the Shadow of the boy let out a muffled sob. The Phantom Thieves squared up for a fight.

Miles’s Shadow eyed them with scorn, “ ** _Should I leave them to you?_** ”

“ _On your way, little brother. These criminals will hardly be a match for me. I doubt I’ll even break a sweat.”_

“ ** _If you insist._** ” Miles’s Shadow turned away, raising his left arm as he went to tug on his chain. Although it didn’t visibly connect to anything, the links went taut, as if pulling on something at a distance.

* * *

[Phoenix solo 2]  
  


The clink of chain links caught Phoenix’s attention. His cognitive double had been guiding him back towards the entrance of the Palace. Now it stalled as if being pulled, the manacle on its right hand seeming to tug it away, the chain held taut by some unseen force.

The doppelganger looked down at him, stern but gentle. “ _I cannot take you further. Follow this path to the exit and do not stray. This place was not safe for you, I fear it will only be worse in the future._ ”

Before he could ask it to wait, his angelic double was gliding off down the hall, deeper into the prison complex. Phoenix looked between the two routes available to him and settled on jogging after his cognitive clone.

The paths diverged and he lost sight of the angel, but running feet signaled the arrival of the Phantom Thieves.

“Hey!” Skull pointed at him as the group jogged to a stop, “What are you doing out here!? You’re supposed to be hiding, man!”

Before he could snap back, he spotted the angel again. Its wings bristled and it came barreling down the hallway, shield at the ready with a cry of “ _Intruders! Stand away from him!_ ”

“Ah crap, no time! C’mon!” Skull tried to grab him and pull him into a run, but Phoenix twisted out of his grasp, planting himself firmly between his double and the Phantom Thieves.

“Go,” he waved the Thieves on, bracing up to take a hit from his doppelganger, “Just go!”

His prediction – perhaps simply his bluff – paid off. In a rush of white feathers, the Cognitive Phoenix flared its wings and braked to a halt a mere foot away. Its expression was one of grim determination, but it couldn’t bring itself to force its way past him. Phoenix backed off, one hand up to warn his clone back, moving slowly to keep a buffer distance between it, himself, and the Phantom Thieves as they made their collective escape.

* * *

[Discussing the Calling Card]

  
The frizzy-haired teen with the glasses let a cat out of his schoolbag onto Phoenix’s desk. Phoenix grimaced but didn’t comment. He wasn’t certain he’d ever gotten the boy’s name. He only knew him as ‘Joker.’

“So, why’d you call us to your office, Mr. Wright?” He didn’t think he’d ever get used to seeing Morgana speak as a normal cat, either.

“It’s about the calling card.” He folded his arms, avoiding their collective gaze, “I have a request, or, options for you, I suppose.”

“Whaddaya mean ‘options’?” Ryuji was eyeing his potted plant, Charley.

“You can’t send it yet,” he told them frankly. “If what Morgana says is true, stealing someone’s Treasure puts them out of commission for a bit. I... we can’t afford that right now.”

“Who’s ‘we’?” The boy with the glasses asked, looking over his frames. It might have been the first time he’d heard him speak.

“Edgeworth and I, if you _must_ know.” That drew the attention of the other teens. Phoenix rolled his eyes, “Not that it affects the rest of you that much, but there’s a serious scandal going on right now between the Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Office. Edgeworth and I are responsible for the trial at the middle of it all. I... He needs to be able to see this through or it’ll never get resolved.”

“Even with his desires so distorted?” Morgana cut in.

“He’s _functional_ right now, that’s what matters. And I’ve managed to get him to cooperate somehow. Once this is finished... Then you can send it. Or let me send it. That was the other thing I was going to ask. If you’re not sure of the timing, let me send it.”

Ryuji jammed his hands in his pockets, bowlegged stance widening belligerently, “And how do we know we can trust you? We all saw that guardian angel thing, it looked like you! What if you’re just another adult getting in our way?”

Phoenix balked, “Ok well _first of all_ , I’m barely eight years older than the lot of you _at most_. So, drop that. Second of all, it’s not like that thing came from _my_ cognition. I can’t control the way he sees me.” Eerily flattering as it was...

“Mr. Wright’s right,” Ann tucked her chin into her fist, murmuring pensively, “And I trust him. We’re doing this for the greater good, after all. If you think we should wait...”

“I do. I know he’s... He’s a huge jerk,” Phoenix glanced at Ryuji, borrowing his turn of phrase, “But he’s good at his job. We just need to finish this trial. It won’t be more than a few days.”

Ryuji huffed a dramatic sigh. The Thieves conferred with glances, their attention ending on the boy with the glasses. Behind the glare of his lenses his expression was unreadable, but he gave a single nod of approval.

“I guess that settles it,” Morgana’s ears twitched, “Sorry, Mr. Wright, but I don’t think it’s safe for us to take you with us next time.”

“That’s... probably for the best.”

* * *

[The Calling Card]

_TAKE YOUR HEART_

_Miles Edgeworth,_

_The Demon Prosecutor_

_Your relentless cruelty has caught our attention. We know you treat the innocent and guilty alike with no shred of mercy, seeking a brutal false justice against any who stand before you in court. That is why we have decided to steal away those twisted desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready._

_From,_

_The Phantom Thieves of Hearts_

* * *

[Boss Encounter]

“ ** _Did you think I’d leave something so valuable unguarded?_** ”

Skull scoffed at the Shadow, “As if! We knew you’d come running to protect it. All we had to do was wait.”

‘Unguarded’ was apt. The Treasure had not moved from its spot in the strangely incongruent elevator, but the Shadow of the young boy was gone. Even without seeing him again, there was no question as to his identity. His purpose, however, remained unclear.

“ ** _Then I’m done being cordial about this,_** ” Miles’s Shadow tugged at the chain on his wrist, “ ** _You’re not leaving here, alive or otherwise._** ”

“Against just you?” Skull flourished his pipe.

Panther picked up the taunt, “I think we’ve got a fair shot.”

“ ** _Yet again, you’re mistaken._** ” In a flurry of white wings, the Cognitive Phoenix was at his side, cracked shield at the ready. “ ** _For once, I’m not alone._** ”

To see the two side-by-side, the manacles finally made sense. In close proximity, the golden chain linked them both, running from the Shadow’s left wrist to Phoenix’s right. His guardian by his side, the Shadow revealed his true form. Miles’s Shadow flicked his free hand, a weapon appearing in his grasp with the gesture; a halberd, the tip of its spike snapped off. A pair of wings, feathers charred away revealing bat-like webbing beneath, spread from his shoulders. A halo, broken into a set of jagged horns, burned into being above his head.

“ ** _You accuse me of seeking a false justice? Then show me what true justice really is!_** ”

_Fallen Lawbringer, Miles Edgeworth’s Shadow | Guardian Redeemer, Cognitive Phoenix Wright_

* * *

[Boss banter]

“Careful, Joker. We’ve fought groups of Shadows before but nothing as powerful as these two. Keep on your toes, they’re probably going to cover for each other!”

“Panther, your fire’s no good against Phoenix! Focus on the Shadow!”

“ _Keep away from him!”_

“What!? That lightning should have grounded him!”

“Try it on Phoenix, Skull!”

“ ** _Tsk. Pathetic._** ”

“It’s no good, Miles’s Shadow keeps countering when Phoenix is grounded.”

“But Phoenix just defends or heals them both if the Shadow’s down!”

“Joker, we have to find a way to knock them both out before either of them can act! Have you been paying attention to their weaknesses?”  
  


* * *

[Boss aftermath]

The Cognitive version of Phoenix staggered in flight and dropped to the floor. Miles’s Shadow was already downed and reeling. The Phantom Thieves had bounced back and readied themselves for an all-out attack. Weapons at the ready, they sprang forward –

“ ** _Stop!_** ”

– and lurched to a sudden halt as Miles’s Shadow, devoid of wings, weapon, or halo, flung himself in front of his guardian. They all knew the rules; a Shadow had to be defeated, but to kill it would cause a mental shutdown in the Shadow’s real-world reflection.

But it seemed the Shadow had not been addressing them. The Cognitive Phoenix was struggling to rise, trying to bring its broken shield to bear against the Thieves. Miles’s Shadow was holding it down, his back to their attackers.

“ ** _Please, stop. I can’t let you keep getting hurt. Not for my sake. Please..._** ” the Shadow glanced back at them, “ ** _Please don’t hurt him anymore. Just take it. Take what you want and go._** ”

With the exception of Joker, the Phantom Thieves were stunned. Their leader stepped carefully around the Shadow and his guardian angel to enter the elevator. The only light in the small, enclosed space was from the shifting glow of the treasure. Not even the light from the hall reached past the threshold.

Joker scooped up the formless object with both hands and tucked it into his coat, regrouping with his team.

“To think he actually cares that much about Mr. Wright...” Panther murmured.

“His guardian angel,” Mona nodded, “That kind of power only comes from a really strong cognition. He firmly believes that’s what Mr. Wright is like.”

“What is going _on_ with those two?” Skull grumbled.

“ ** _What happens now...?_** ” The Shadow’s voice was different. When the Phantom Thieves glanced down, the saw the reason why. No longer the full-grown man they’d battled with, Miles’s Shadow had diminished in size. The boy from the elevator, dressed in shorts and a vest rather than a prisoner’s uniform, was slouched under the protective canopy of Cognitive Phoenix’s arched wings. “ ** _What’s going to happen to me now? Am I going to die?_** ” Despite the weight of the question, the boy only sounded tired.

“You’ll be fine,” Mona told him, flashing a cartoonishly large grin, “In fact, you’ll probably even feel better!”

“ ** _But... I don’t feel better..._** ”

“Just give it some time. Now, we gotta get out of here before this place comes apart. Come on!”

“ ** _Nick... Thank-you. Thank-you for trying so hard to protect me..._** ”


End file.
